Basic First Aid

Seizures/Convulsions

 Seizures: mild to severe

 brief blackouts, involuntary movements, sudden falls

 periods of confused behavior

 involuntary muscle contractions.

 Grand Mal seizures

 uncontrollable muscle movements (jerking or spasms)

 Rigidity

 loss of consciousness
 loss of bladder and/or bowel control

 breathing that stops temporarily.

 Seizures/Convulsions

 Stay with the person – consider calling 911

 Protect the person from injury

 Move all furniture or equipment that is nearby
 Do not hold or restrain the person
 Do not put anything in the person’s mouth
 Loosen clothing
 Roll the person on his/her side

 After the seizure activity has stopped:

 Perform rescue breathing if person is blue or not breathing (if CPR certified)
 If breathing, lay person on side
 FAINTING

 Pale, sweaty,slow pulse

 Lay person on back with head to the side and legs
elevated
 DO NOT give anything by mouth
 If person doesn’t wake upright away, call 911
 Choking

 Partial airway obstruction with good air exchange

 Forceful cough
 Wheezing in between breaths

*Stay with the person and encourage them to cough

 Choking

 Partial airway obstruction with poor air exchange

 Weak, ineffective cough
 High-pitched noises while breathing

* This type of obstruction should be dealt with as if it were a

complete obstruction
 Choking

 Complete airway obstruction

 Unable to breathe, speak or cough
 Clutching at his/her throat (universal distress signal for choking)

 If the person is still conscious, perform Heimlich maneuver

 If the person becomes unconscious, call 911 and continue

helping if familiar with First Aid/CPR
Heimlich Maneuver
 Major Bleeding: Direct Pressure

Use a sterile dressing or clean cloth

Fold to form pad
Apply pressure directly over wound
Fasten with bandage; knot over wound
If bleeding continues, add second
pressure dressing
 Bleeding:Pressure Points

Apply pressure where artery lies near skin over bone.

 Bleeding:Pressure Points

 Use pressure point closest to wound, between wound

and heart

 Superficial arteries: use flat surface of several

fingers

 Femoral artery, use heel of one hand

 Tourniquet

Absolutelast resort in

controlling bleeding:Life or

the limb

Once a tourniquet is

applied, it is not to

be removed , only by

a doctor
 Cuts

 Apply pressure with a clean cloth, elevation

 Can be cleaned better when bleeding stops

 Large and deep: seek medical attention

 Maintain pressure

 Minor cuts
 Soap and water, peroxide
 cover with antibiotic ointment and dressing.

 If cut may need sutures, seek medical care as soon as

possible
 Consider “Super Glue”
Works on People, Too!
 Abrasions

 Must get wound clean

 Hold pressure with or without “numbing” medicine
till bleeding stops
 Clean wound with soap and water in 1 -2 hours
 Wrap in dry bandage
 Clean at least twice a day till healed
 Puncture Wounds

 DO NOTremove large objects such

as knives or sticks, call 911

 For minor wounds, wash with soap

and water
 Remove splinters?
 Antibiotic ointment
 Bandage

 The person may need a tetanus

booster injection
 StingingInsects
 Remove the stinger with the scraping motion of a fingernail
 DO NOT pull the stinger out
 Put a cold compress on the bite
 Hydrocortisone cream
 Benadryl

 Check for allergies

 If hives, paleness, weakness, nausea, vomiting, tightness in chest,
breathing difficulty, or collapse occur, call 911.
 For spider bites, call the Poison Control Center or hospital
EpiPen
 How to use an Epipen:
 Pull off gray safety cap.

 Place black tip on thigh, at right angle to leg

 Press hard into thigh until Auto-Injector mechanism functions
 Hold in place for several seconds
 The EpiPen unit should then be removed and discarded

 Massage the injection area for 10 seconds.

 Blisters

 Leave intact
 Puncture under clean conditions
 Cleanse area, hands, needle
 Puncture near edge
 Antibiotic ointment and bandage
 EYE Injuries

 DON’T RUB!!!
 Wash out (chemicals, dirt)
 Patch or compress or keep closed
 Send the person directly to an emergency room.
 NOSEBLEEDS

 With person sitting, squeeze

nostrils together between
thumb and index finger for 10
minutes
 Ice on forehead
 If bleeding persists, seek
medical attention– but
maintain pressure
 TEETH

 If knocked out, find the tooth and rinse it gently without touching
the root
 Insert and gently hold the tooth in its socket or transport the
tooth in cow’s milk
 If broken, save the pieces. Gently clean the injured area with
warm water. Place a cold compress to reduce swelling.
 Send the person directly to the dentist or an emergency room.
Time is important!
 Major Fractures

 Other injuries – major accident

 Broken skin, major deformity

 Heavy bleeding
 Loss of circulation

 Neck, head, hip, pelvis, upper leg

 Major Fractures

 Stop any bleeding

 Immobilize
 Splint
 Don’t try to re-align
 Treat for shock
 Head down
 Legs up?
 Dislocations

 Don't delay medical care

 Don't move the joint
 Nerves, blood vessels and ligaments

 Put ice on the injured joint

 Fractures and Sprains: PRICE

 P-- protect the injured limb from further injury by not

using the joint

 R-- rest the injured limb

 I-- ice the area

 C-- compress the area with an elastic wrap or bandage

 E-- elevate the injured limb whenever possible to help

prevent or limit swelling

 Sunburn

 Avoidance

 Cover up: hats, sleeves

 Sunscreen

 Cool bath or shower

 Leave blisters intact

 Tylenol, Advil, Solarcaine

 Heat Illness

 AVOID The Problem

 DRINK even if not “thirsty”

Lotsofclear urine
 Heat Cramps: rest, cool down, DRINK
 Heat Exhaustion = threatened Heatstroke
 Nausea, faint

 Pale, clammy & cool

 Give fluids, active cooling

 Heatstroke Call 911

 Hot, shock, unconscious